


Grand Theft Auto

by EvelynsGrave



Category: Resident Evil - All Media Types
Genre: Claire and Leon talk about music, Dont you miss the 90s?, Fluff and Angst, I Do, Not all the lyrics are there, Or Sort Of, Short One Shot, Song Lyrics, Songfic, The music was great
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2020-02-10 18:38:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18666097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvelynsGrave/pseuds/EvelynsGrave
Summary: And here he was, trying not to laugh at the irony of a policeman driving a stolen vehicle.





	Grand Theft Auto

A storm was forming in the distance. The sky was light grey, the clouds getting thicker, and a few drops of rain here and there hit the windshield. 

Leon was feeling the tension that had formed in his shoulders for the past half hour. The nervousness had started to fade a bit, but nonetheless he kept both hands tight on the wheel, sighing every now and then. He had volunteered to relieve Claire as she was yawning and looking tired. “You sure?” she had asked, trying to mask a teasing expression on her face. “Yeah. You’ve been driving for almost two hours”, he shrugged. “Catch some z’s and I’ll wake you up before we reach town”. 

“You don’t have to, Leon” she said, seriously this time. 

He insisted. And here he was, trying not to laugh at the irony of a policeman driving a stolen vehicle. 

It was of course Claire’s idea. She had been eyeing the sad, old sedan in the corner of the parking lot of the last motel they stayed at. 

Both adults were in agreement to stay at one place no longer than three days at a time before moving along and finding a larger city where they could blend in better. They have had a change of clothes, some food and other supplies, all thanks to both of their wallets staying miraculously in their persons during their misadventure in Raccoon City. Based on the map, they would have to travel quite a distance to reach the next town. Being on foot was not an option anymore. 

He couldn’t help but shake his head and smile. Lucky that he had such a street smart companion to travel with, and a child so full of energy and admiration for both of them to boot. 

The radio was playing some pop song by one of those silly boy bands that he hated with a passion. “Ugh”, Leon grunted. He wasn’t going to get pulled over for auto theft with crap like this playing in the background. He browsed and settled for a station playing alternative rock music which is more like his type. He turned the volume down a little, just enough for him to hear the song playing. 

 

_Thank you frailty_  
_Thank you consequence_  
_Thank you thank you silence_

 

Before they fell asleep, Claire had been singing along to all the mainstream, dance-y songs he heard everywhere, telling Sherry where she first heard them, or how they were played at all the parties. Sherry looked at her like she was the most amazing singer in the world as she tried to belt it out, sometimes messing up the lyrics. It was infectious. Sherry was singing after getting over her bashfulness and he’d hum along albeit mockingly. At some point Claire got a good chuckle out of them both by dancing, keeping one hand on the wheel, to a song of a world famous girl group about stopping an over eager admirer. She knew the steps— and lyrics— by heart. He’d be lying to himself if he didn’t think it was the most endearing moment they have shared together ever since escaping the hands of death. 

 

_How ‘bout me enjoying the moment for once_

 

Even more amazing is the fact that she really wasn’t into that type of music either, as he had learned.

“What do you like to listen to?”, he remembered asking her in an aisle of a convenience store. It was his attempt at breaking the awkward silence that had formed as they got too engrossed with comparing the prices of each item. 

She didn’t seem to be bothered by the randomness of it. “Whatever Chris listens to”, she replied, eyes busy scanning tag prices. “Queen. Led Zeppelin. Mostly old school. But I like rock in general.” 

“Cool. You seem the type”, he said. “I love rock too. And grunge. Y’know... Soundgarden. STP. Nirvana... Hole.”

That got her attention and she looked at him, smiling. “Really? You like Courtney Love?”

“What? I dig chicks with personality”, he shrugged in response. “How about metal?”

“Hell yeah”, she said, excited. “Slayer... Judas Priest... Metallica!” 

“And Justice For All is the best album of all time.”

“Excuse me, you said ‘Reload’ wrong.”

It had been one of the few lighter moments they had shared after escaping the city. They were so focused on moving forward and holding it together for Sherry’s sake that they almost forgot to be casual at times, although Claire was naturally good at trying to appear carefree. 

 

_How 'bout grieving it all one at a time_

 

She had a way of handling everything better, from Sherry’s innocently awkward questions (‘So... are you boyfriend and girlfriend? Leon said you weren’t before, but what about NOW?’), down to their desperate situation of motel-hopping and failed attempts at hitchhiking. 

 

_Thank you terror_  
_Thank you disillusionment_

 

He wished he was as good at handling the situation as she was, but as the days went by he felt more and more somber compared to her. He blamed the nagging pain and itch on his shoulder and the persistent lightheadedness from the pints of blood that he had lost. He felt guilty about the price of each medical supply bought for him, as he told Claire while she was changing his bandages. He felt bad about that too. He couldn’t even lift his own arm to do it himself. 

 

_The moment I let go of it_  
_Was the moment I got more than I could handle_  
_The moment I jumped off of it_  
_Was the moment I touched down_

 

He hated himself for thinking about Ada and blaming himself for her death. 

 

_How ‘bout no longer being masochistic_

 

Leon sighed audibly, shifting in his seat. He couldn’t be selfish at a time like this, but he thought he’d feel a lot lighter if he didn’t keep it all boxed in. 

He wasn’t alone after all.

 

_How 'bout unabashedly bawling your eyes out_  
_How 'bout not equating death with stopping_

 

They all knew Hell because they lived it.

They had escaped, but jumped into a situation that required them to be on guard just the same. But it was surreal in the best of ways. There was hope and happiness. And the best part was that they stuck together. 

Although the two girls couldn’t even keep their story straight. Claire kept referring to him as her ‘boyfriend’ despite saying that they’re a married couple on a road trip with their daughter, and Sherry kept calling them by their first names and then guiltily covering her mouth as if she said something offensive. He let out a soft laugh. 

The rain had started to pour. He could see Claire’s sleeping figure next to him on the corner of his eye, her head facing the window, her chest softly rising and falling to slow and steady breaths. 

He doesn’t know a whole lot about her— but somehow, she already feels like home.

_Thank you clarity_  
_Thank you thank you silence_

Later in town, she’s going to have to put up with a lot more questions from him beyond her taste in music.

**Author's Note:**

> The lyrics are from the song “Thank U” by Alanis Morissette, released sometime in October 1998.


End file.
